Brush named an All-America City, receives accolades from Hickenlooper

By Lisa Jager

Brush News-Tribune Staff Writer

Posted:
03/16/2015 10:43:51 AM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

Brush was named an All-America City in 2014, the result of the hard work of a large group of community members of all ages, pictured here immediately after its presentation at the All-American City competition in Denver in mid-June.

Brush received a prestigious honor last summer when it was named a 2014 All-America City by the Denver-based National Civic League, one of only 10 communities in the United States to receive the designation.

Each year the National Civic League holds the nationwide All-America City competition, which is not based on the size of the community, but bestowed on communities for outstanding civic accomplishments and meeting the criteria for the year's competition theme.

In 2014 the theme was healthy communities, including efforts to address challenges such as obesity, chronic illness, physical inactivity and the need for safe routes to school and walkable communities.

Brush received the exciting news of its award following months of planning by a large team of Brush citizens and two days of intense and lively competition in mid-June in downtown Denver at the All-America City Award competition, which included 25 finalist cities from throughout the United States.

Brush began the All-American award competition process in January 2014 via a planning committee that first prepared the detailed application for the awards process. Once it became one of the 25 finalists the committee began planning for the June competition. The crux of the competition was a 10-minute presentation showcasing programs described in Brush's application.

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With the focus this year on healthy living, Brush's presentation highlighted its "can do" approach to the hospital expansion, the Colorado Mission of Mercy program, the Weigh and Win program and youth programs. The presentation also featured the downtown expansion and embracing diversity via OneMorgan County, which prompted the most number of questions from the judges.

Competing teams entered the competition room from a lobby area, often using sound or music to make an impact with their entrance. Brush's 35-person team was led by four Brush High School cheerleaders, 'Digger Dan, and lots of pompoms and hooting and hollering. This entrance, along with repeated "Brush Can Do" cheers throughout its presentation, prompted one of the judges to say "you certainly deserve the team spirit award." In fact the entire tone of the event was spirited, uplifting and at times just plain loud. Brush Mayor Chuck Schonberger likened it to "a high school cheerleading pep rally."

City of Brush Marketing Specialist Tyler Purvis, who was the lead coordinator of Brush's participation in the event said, "There was tons of energy and excitement. It was impressive at any level, watching people be so passionate about where they live."

Purvis was part of the Brush delegation that participated in the All-America City Awards competition in 2013, during which the team had much less time to prepare and a significantly smaller number of delegates. The smaller delegation last year was noted by one of the judges before the presentation and Purvis thinks the notable change from the years before may have had an impact on being selected as an All-America City.

Purvis said "they saw how much we took in from last year" and built upon that. Purvis also said Brush demonstrated "depth and substance and what we have done as a small community. We showed some dynamic things that weighed in heavily" on the judges' decision.

Being named an All-America City is said to open doors for a community in areas such as economic development. Schonberger said he attended a meeting of mayors participating in the All-American Awards competition, where he heard mixed reviews as to what it did for their community. One mayor noted that he was contacted by a large U.S. corporation who saw the All-America City logo on the community's website and told the community they would not have contacted them had they not seen the logo.

In September, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper spoke at an All-America City rally in Brush, congratulating the community on its designation. Having served as a judge at an All-America City competition Colorado, Hickenlooper said he knows what it takes to win this competitive event and what it says about Brush as a community. He said Brush's efforts to continually improve its community and its designation as an All-America City speak well for not only Brush but the rest of Colorado as well.

"You are a true community in every sense of the word," he said. "From the entire state, thank you. This has not just helped Brush, but everyone in Colorado."

Brush was the smallest community among the 25 delegate cities at the competition. The next largest community — Independence, Ore., with a population of approximately 8,000 — also was a winner. The other 2014 All-America Cities are Montgomery, Ala., Chelsea, Mass., San Pablo, Calif., Brownsville, Texas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Hampton, Va., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Eau Claire, Wis.

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